Governor Fallin Statement on New House DHS Strategy

Statement

Governor Mary Fallin released a statement today after House Speaker Kris Steele and other legislators announced the formation of a new group dedicated to improving results at the Department of Human Services (DHS). The House group will meet with DHS officials and propose reforms to governance structure, agency structure, personnel policy and resource allocation.

"When I appointed Brad Yarbrough and Wes Lane to the DHS commission, I asked them to pursue reforms that would allow the agency to better protect our children and increase accountability, transparency and efficiency. The goals outlined today by Speaker Steele, a bipartisan group of legislators, and agency officials is the logical next step in that process," Fallin said. "As a state, we must all work together to prevent the abuse and neglect of our most vulnerable citizens. That's especially true when it comes to child abuse and the heart-breaking deaths of children in state custody. We have, unfortunately, seen too many instances of both recently, and the current results are unacceptable. Today's announcement puts us on a path to reform our systems of child welfare and better protect vulnerable Oklahomans."

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